Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Hansard source

Going through a hypothetical example, a donor that provides a donation to support a federal election or to support a party of his or her choosing in the context of a federal campaign effort has not done anything wrong. I don't know why you would want to impose a penalty on an individual Australian when all they have done is use their democratic right to participate in the democratic process. What you're suggesting is on what would happen if the party, subsequent to the donation being made, does not manage that donation in a way that is consistent with our federal and state legislation. If they don't observe the strict separation then the penalty imposed on that party is that they would lose the benefit of strict separation and they would become subject to the state laws, including, in the Queensland context, the relevant prohibitions that apply in Queensland. So you can't really blame an individual donor for any alleged or possible mishandling by a political party.

Question agreed to.

Progress reported.